VEHICLE

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• VEHICLE
• BATTERIES
• PROGRAM

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Course outline
Course Outline I. Introduction II. Conventional
battery design III. AGM battery design IV. Basic
battery facts V. Common causes of battery
failure VI. Battery maintenance/management
plan Diagnostics Corrective
maintenance Preventative maintenance VII. Conclu
sion VIII. Appendix and supplemental information
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I. Introduction
87,000 batteries in Kuwait
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II. Conventional battery design
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II. Conventional battery design
All 6 cells are connected inside the box to make
a 12 volt battery
The case is filled with electrolyte (sulfuric
acid water) Electrolyte must always cover the
battery plates (but dont fill to top).
() and (-) plates are connected to make a 2 volt
cell.
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II. Conventional battery design
Conventional style batteries in use by the US
Military
6TL, 6TLFP, 6TMF, 4HN, 2HN and other commercially
available batteries All of these batteries are
flooded (wet) cell lead acid batteries.
Though they appear similar they have different
chemistry, capacities and voltages.
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III. AGM battery design
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III. AGM battery design

• Same basic design as conventional battery,
  except
• AGM batteries use an Absorbent Glass Mat to
  contain all the electrolyte.
• The AGM holds all the electrolyte like a super
  sponge. Battery wont leak or spill even if
  tipped over or accidentally cracked.
• Contains a one way safety valve to prevent
  out-gassing loss of liquid during normal
  operation.
• High purity lead (not recycled) plus a little tin
• Plates are compressed into cell partition
• Prevents plate to plate movement shorting
• Prevents loss of active paste material
• Increases vibration resistance.

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III. AGM battery design

• Advantages of AGM batteries
• Longer life
• Less maintenance
• Safer
• No leaking acid
• Eliminates corrosion to terminals battery trays
• No holes in your clothes, or burning skin
• Reduced chance of battery explosion
• Battery will work temporarily after cracked open
  or taking a round.
• Lower internal resistance
• Higher cranking power
• More usable reserve capacity
• Faster recharge

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IV. Basic battery facts
A little voltage means a lot!
Hawker/Optima state of charge versus OCV
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IV. Basic battery facts
All batteries discharge when not being
used. (self discharge or shelf life)
The rate of self discharge increases as the
temperature goes up
For every 10oC rise in temperature the self
discharge rate doubles!
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IV. Basic battery facts
Where are your batteries?
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V. Common causes of battery failure
Common causes of battery failure
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V. Common causes of battery failure
Deficit charging

• When the vehicle cannot fully charge the battery
  during normal operation. Results in a decline in
  capacity (shorter run time of electronics) and
  reduced battery life.
• Typical causes are
• Engine alternator voltage and/or amperage is too
  low,
• Engine run time not long enough to recharge
  batteries.
• High accessory loads (lights, radios, etc)
• Solutions
• Install a higher amperage alternator
• Shut off accessories when possible (or leave
  engine running)
• Periodically use an external charger to fully
  charge the batteries.

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V. Common causes of battery failure
Mixing different types of batteries together

• Connecting different types of batteries together
  in the vehicle will lead to shorter battery pack
  life and possible overcharge or undercharge
  problems with individual batteries. Premature
  failure WILL happen.
• Solution
• Only connect together batteries of identical
  make and model.
• NEVER mix different battery types.

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V. Common causes of battery failure
Leaving (parking vehicle) batteries in a
discharged condition

• Even a partial discharge will cause sulfation on
  the plates that reduces battery capacity and
  leads to premature battery failure.
• Do not leave batteries discharged!
• Damage can occur in a very short period.
• Solution
• Check batteries before storing vehicle recharge
  batteries if needed.
• If the vehicle or equipment is not used on a
  regular basis, periodically check the battery OCV
  and charge when necessary.
• Charge whenever the battery OCV is
• Wet/flooded 12.5 or less
• AGM 12.7 or less
• When storing vehicles that have on-board
  electronics use a maintenance charger such as
  those provided by PulseTech Products to prevent
  reoccurring battery discharge.

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Ohio State University5-year old fully charged
batteries
V. Common causes of battery failure - plate
sulfation
Cathode crystalline structures remaining after
charging without pulsing
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V. Common causes of battery failure - plate
sulfation
Cathode after charging and pulsing with
Solargizer. Area in box is enlarged on next
view.
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Ohio State University5-year old fully charged
batteries
V. Common causes of battery failure - plate
sulfation
Cathode after charging and pulsing with Solargizer
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VI. BMMP - Diagnostics
If the engine starts, the battery must be good,
right?
NOT NECESSARILY!
A borderline battery may start the engine, but
fail shortly after.
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VI. BMMP - Diagnostics
If a battery does not pass the diagnostics
tests, it MUST be pulled from the vehicle and
sent to the shop for corrective maintenance. If
you dont do this, your BMMP will not achieve
its full potential results AND vehicle operation
is jeopardized.
Not conducting the diagnostic portion of the BMMP
and ensuring your batteries are in good condition
as you implement your program is one of the
biggest causes for a BMMP to fail.
Diagnostics are an ongoing part of any
preventative maintenance program. It will
ultimately reduce battery consumption and the
money and man-hours expended on corrective
maintenance or battery replacement.
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VI. BMMP - Diagnostics
Historically the three most common methods of
battery testing have been

• Multi-meter
• Load tester
• Specific gravity tester (Duo-check).

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VI. BMMP - Diagnostics
Multi-meter A good first glance tool to check
out a battery.
Voltage and a batterys capability to operate may
have little to do with one another. This is
especially true with flooded conventional
batteries. An excellent example of this is the
occasional battery that wont start a vehicle
shortly after being taken off of a battery
charger. When the battery is just off charge, a
multi-meter will often give you a reading of over
13 volts. Yet when you try to start a vehicle or
power radios, it immediately fails and the
voltage drops to 12 volts or less. The battery
had voltage (surface voltage) but no capacity.
OCV readings alone on flooded batteries are
not suitable for determining battery condition or
capacity. OCV readings are more accurate with
AGM batteries. AGM OCV lt 12.7 (25.4 on
a 24 volt battery pack) recharge
immediately.Flooded OCV lt 12.5 (25.0 on a 24
volt battery pack) recharge immediately.
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VI. BMMP - Diagnostics
Load Testing One of the most effective ways to
test a batterys condition.
A battery shop procedure Creates a dead short
across the batterys terminals with a gauge that
indicates how the battery handles the load.
Battery MUST first be fully charged which makes
load testing impractical anywhere except in a
battery shop. Load test battery per the
equipments instructions. If tester is not
automatic, set for ½ the battery CCA rating.
(6TMF 325 amps, Hawker Armasafe 600
amps) Discharge for 15 seconds. To pass the test
the battery voltage during load must stay above
9.6 volts Passing batteries must be recharged
again after load test.
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VI. BMMP - Diagnostics
Load Testing
Works on both Flooded AGM batteries OK for
battery shop. Impractical in the field. Use of
Load testers takes time and requires
caution. Enormous heat and mishandling can cause
burns. Tester must be allowed to cool after
every couple batteries. It is a
time-consuming process that presents some genuine
training and safety issues to users.
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VI. BMMP - Diagnostics
Specific Gravity Testers (Duo-check)
In the past was considered to be the standard
for testing military batteries. Can identify
state of charge and bad cells. Requires that
each battery cap must be opened individually and
each cell must be tested individually.
Associated safety issues from exposure to
battery acid (ruined uniforms, chemical
burns, etc.) Time consuming - opening and
closing each cap on a 5-ton truck means that at a
minimum, properly testing four truck batteries
will take over 30 minutes per truck. At todays
manning levels, that is too many
man-hours. (Specific Gravity tests are not
applicable to sealed AGM batteries)
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VI. BMMP - Diagnostics
So how do you quickly, safely and efficiently
test batteries?
CONDUCTANCE TESTING - Excellent snapshot of a
batterys condition. Conductance testing is
performed with the 490 PT. Its easy to use and
it can test all four batteries on a truck in
about 90 seconds. The battery does not have to
be fully charged, but it does need to be over 5.5
volts. The 490 PT can be used repeatedly
without heating up, opening caps or dealing with
sulfuric acid.
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VI. BMMP - Diagnostics
CONDUCTANCE TESTING -
Uses an algorithm to compare the batterys
available capacity to a known standard. The
PulseTech 490 PT provides the operator with a
digital read-out that displays gt Cold Cranking
Amps (CCA) gt Whether the battery needs to be
recharged and re-tested gt If it has a bad
cell gt OCV Conductance testing is the fastest,
most efficient way to test battery condition
available at this time.
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VI. BMMP - Diagnostics
490 PT and MBT-1 Part Nos. 741x490 and
741x800 (NSNs 6130-01-510-9594 and
6130-01-463-8499)
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VI. BMMP - Corrective Maintenance
Corrective maintenance is intended to reverse or
correct a problem that has already occurred.
You found a dead or questionable battery, whats
the next step? The first question that must be
asked when batteries are dead is Why?
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VI. BMMP - Corrective Maintenance

• Run switch, lights or other electrical devices
  left on

• Short engine run times (cant refill the
  bucket without running the engine longer)
• Key off loads (loads that are still drawing
  current from the batteries even with the switch
  in the off position) newer vehicles have many
  microprocessors that often add to this problem.
• Parasitic drainSmall shorts in the wires of one
  or more pieces of equipment on the vehicle.
  These are generally not large loads or they would
  trip a fuse or breaker. They pull batteries down
  over time. These loads must be found and fixed.
  See Appendix 2 Parasitic Loads for how to test
  to see if you have this problem

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VI. BMMP - Preventative Maintenance
Lack of use or - Battery Self Discharge

• The 6TL has a 4.4 self-discharge rate per month
  (as identified by the USMC AVTB, Report,
  dated 20 March 00).
• The Hawker Armasafe has monthly self-discharge
  rate of about 1
• Batteries will self-discharge faster in higher
  temperatures.
• Discharged partially discharged batteries will
  suffer from plate sulfation.
• Often a standard charger or alternator cannot
  break up sulfation and fully recharge the
  battery.
• The only way to prevent self-discharge
  sulfation is with frequent charging or by adding
  hardware.

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VI. BMMP - Corrective Maintenance

• Acid on the outside of the battery case

Place one probe of a multi-meter (set to DC
volts) on either post of a battery and place the
other probe on the non-conductive plastic case.
With a dirty, shiny, or oily top (acid film),
you will often see voltage on the meter. That
means that the debris on the case has created an
electric path and is drawing the battery down.
To stop this, the case must be washed with soap
and water to remove the oil. Baking soda must
also be used to neutralize the acid (DO not allow
baking soda to get into the battery cells). They
can all be mixed together to make it easier.
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VI. BMMP - Corrective Maintenance
Once you have identified and hopefully corrected
the cause of the problem -
The dead batteries are sent to the battery shop
for testing and attempted recovery.
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VI. BMMP - Corrective Maintenance
Battery corrective maintenance must recover
batteries to their rated CCA level or they are
not worth trying to keep in service!
If not sufficiently recovered, replace them with
known good batteries!
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VI. BMMP - Corrective Maintenance
Chargers
- Must be designed for the specific battery type!
Flooded lead acid batteries use conventional
automotive type chargers. When possible the
charger should be an automatic type as to not
accidentally overcharge the battery if its left
connected. AGM batteries need a high quality
charger Voltage needs to be properly
controlled (some automotive chargers can have a
very wide voltage swing) If it does NOT have an
AGM or sealed battery setting Voltage should be
regulated between 14.25 and 14.75
volts. Recommended amperage ratings of 10 to
40. All Chargers should be built for rough
treatment Heavy Duty power supply Tough clamps
for good electrical connection.
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VI. BMMP - Corrective Maintenance
Pulse Chargers
The Pulse Charger/World Version PLUS is four
products in one.

• 110-volt 220-volt switch for use within the
  United States or abroad.
• Switch (on back) for unique requirements of
  flooded lead-acid batteries and AGM or Gel Cell
  batteries.
• There is a Pulse Only setting designed to pulse
  clean the battery internally.
• Pulse Charge, which simultaneously pulses the
  battery while it is being charged.
• Its also a 20 amp smart charger that
  constantly tests the battery to insure a proper
  charge. Once the battery is fully charged, the
  unit switches to Pulse Only to maintain the
  battery. (Note The Pulse Charger incorporates
  a safety feature that prevents it from starting
  its charge regimen if a battery is below
  approximately 6 volts. Batteries below 6 volts
  can seldom be recovered, however by charging a
  known mechanically sound battery at low amperage
  for an hour you can get the Pulse Charger to
  activate though this is not recommended for
  safety reasons.)

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VI. BMMP - Corrective Maintenance
Pulse Chargers
The Pro HD is a smart charger for use on both
12- and 24-volt systems.

• Fully automatic smart charger senses battery
  condition and provides only what the battery can
  accept.
• Charges all conventional lead-acid battery types
  (flooded cell and AGM).
• Smart technology and pulsing prevents battery
  gassing and allows charging in the vehicle.
• 40-amp DC output in 12- or 24-volt mode
  (automatically switches between 12- and 24-volt
  systems).
• Adjusts charge voltage and current to maximize
  battery recovery and charging. Smart technology
  and pulsing prevents battery gassing which allows
  charging with batteries installed in the vehicles.

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VI. BMMP - Corrective Maintenance
Pulse Charger/World Version Part No. 746x725 NSN
6130-01-398-6951
Redi-Pulse Pro-10 Part No. 746x900 NSN
6130-01-520-7118
Redi-Pulse Pro HD Part No. 746x800 NSN
6130-01-500-3401
Initially we didnt think it was going to be
anything other than additional charging stations,
but immediately we found that we could recover
twice as many batteries using the pulse
technology incorporated into the BATTCAVE
Chargers. DOL Fort Lewis
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VI. BMMP - Corrective Maintenance

• Products included, but not limited to
• 8 - Pulse Charger/World Version
• 2 490PT Battery Analyzers
• 1 - Redi-Pulse Pro-10
• 10 - MBT-1 Load Tester
• 1 Redi-Pulse Pro-HD 12/24-volt
• 1 Multi-fuel capable generator

Commercial Mobile Battery Shop (CONUS and
OCONUS) Part Nos. 740x905 and 740x906 NSNs
6130-01-526-9085 and 6130-01-527-3846
The BATTCAVE was a lifesaver in Afghanistan. We
were at the end of a very long logistics
system. Were it not for the BATTCAVE, battery
maintenance would not have existed in country.
Many thanks for all of your assistance. - CW4
Roy Johnson DMMC, 10th DISCOM Ft.
Drum, NY
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VI. BMMP - Preventative Maintenance
Preventative Maintenance
After diagnosis and correction of your batterys
condition, the batteries are reinstalled in the
vehicles and equipment. PM also includes
checking and charging batteries prior to
installation. It is very common to get new
batteries that have been sitting idle for months
prior to your purchasing them. Not starting with
a fully charged battery will reduce the batterys
life.
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VI. BMMP - Preventative Maintenance
Ignored batteries will soon be right back to
their start point.
PM is an action to prevent a problem from
occurring or reoccurring. Some PM actions are
easy and cost nothing but time, others take more
work and have a dollar value assigned to
them. During PM batteries will often be found to
be dead or in a low state of charge (this is
where the ongoing diagnostic cycle is most
evident). As discussed before, remember the
common causes of discharged failed batteries
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VI. BMMP - Preventative Maintenance
Common causes discussed previously

• Dirty battery cases
• Parasitic loads
• Key off discharge
• Operator error (lights switches left on)
• Self Discharge
• Insufficient engine run time

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VI. BMMP - Preventative Maintenance
PM equipment
Solar Charging Systems Battery maintenance
devices used on vehicles to prevent and break up
large crystal sulfates on battery plates which
occur in discharged batteries. Sulfate crystal
formations slowly destroy the batterys capacity.
Solar charge systems can be powered by either
sunlight (Solar panel) or an AC receptacle.
Older model solar maintenance systems offset
the 6TLs self-discharge from 4.4 to .8 per
month. New solar charge systems maintain and/or
charge battery systems.
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VI. BMMP - Preventative Maintenance
PM equipment
24-volt Pulse Charge Monitor System Part No.
735x643 NSN 6130-01-497-0964
24-volt Pulse Solar Charger Part No. 735x640 NSN
6130-01-487-0035
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VI. BMMP - Preventative Maintenance
PM-MEP Test Summary Results for Ft. Belvoir, VA
Test start date April 21, 2004 Duration
12 months Equipment Four generators (2
batteries per generator, 24 VDC) Two generators
with new Optima 800U batteries. (one generator
with solar, one without) Two generators with new
Exide 6TMF, conventional flooded lead acid
battery. (one generator with solar, one
without) Two generators with PT Solar charger
735X643
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VI. BMMP - Preventative Maintenance
PM-MEP Test Summary Results for Ft. Belvoir, VA

• Data collection
• Ambient temperature
• Temperature inside the generator enclosure
• Battery voltage
• Calculated CCA (conductance calculation)We plan
  to perform high rate load and capacity tests at
  the end of the 12 month period.

Category Battery Type 21-Apr-04 19-Aug-04 7-Oct-04 9-Nov-04 16-Nov-04 19-Jan-05 25-Mar-05
Solar OPT3(Solar) 12.5 12.8 13 12.50 12.40 12.20 12.80
Solar OPT4(Solar) 12.5 12.9 13 12.50 12.50 12.40 12.97
Solar TMF1(Solar) 12.5 12.7 12.5 12.50 12.50 12.10 12.55
Solar TMF2(Solar) 12.5 12.7 12.5 12.50 12.56 12.11 12.58
No Solar OPT1 12.5 12.3 12 12.00 12.00 11.90 12.11
No Solar OPT2 12.5 12.2 12 12.00 12.00 11.90 12.04
No Solar TMF3 12.5 12.3 12 12.00 12.00 11.90 0.00
No Solar TMF4 12.5 12.2 12 12.00 12.00 12.00 12.04
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VI. BMMP - Preventative Maintenance
Trend At 11 months all batteries with the solar
pulse charger appear to be holding nicely at/near
fully charged
Evaluation Update PulseTech Solar Charger (part
no. 735x643)
Test Duration 11 out of 12 months completed
Conclusion Military generators often sit for
longer periods of time not being used. Then when
they are needed, it is common to find the
batteries discharged and unable to start the
engine. All batteries have a defined shelf life
causing them to discharge over time. Self
discharge rates are higher in warm climates where
the military commonly operates. The batteries
here using the solar Pulse chargers are fully
charged and ready to start an engine. The
batteries without solar are over 50 discharged.
It is unlikely they could start a generator.
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VI. BMMP - Preventative Maintenance
PM-MEP Test Summary Results for Ft. Belvoir, VA
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VI. BMMP - Preventative Maintenance
PM-MEP Test Summary Results for Ft. Belvoir, VA

• Test Summary
• 12 month test will be complete in about 2 months
• Test results to date look good
• Assuming a successful conclusion, PM-MEP will
  approve product for use on 5kW to 200kW fielded
  generators
• Fielded population in Army 37,300
• It will be up to the users/units to purchase
  product
• PM-MEP will publish a tech bulletin to field and
  submit an article to PM Magazine

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VI. BMMP - Preventative Maintenance
PM reminders

• Use of PM equipment described above does not
  eliminate the requirement of checking electrolyte
  levels in flooded lead acid batteries.
• PM equipment will not keep dirt and grime off the
  batteries they still need to be cleaned.
• Solargizer type products will slow the
  self-discharge rate of a 6TL, but not overcome
  it. However, a Solargizer will overcome the
  self-discharge rate of an AGM battery.

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VI. BMMP - Preventative Maintenance
PM reminders

• Check batteries on a regular basis - Whenever
  doing other PM inspections, or at a minimum every
  month
• Battery connections checked and cleaned if
  needed.
• Battery hold-down brackets, tighten if battery is
  loose.
• Dirty batteries, clean if necessary.
• Voltage or conductance test. Check and charge
  or send to battery shop if necessary.
• Equipment with known battery problems should be
  checked more frequently until problem is solved.
• A properly administered PM program will reduce
  the requirement for Corrective Maintenance and
  create huge savings in man-hours and money

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VII. Conclusion

• Conclusion
• The information and maintenance practices
  described today will provide direct benefits in
  terms of
• Optimal vehicle electrical system performance
• Lower battery related maintenance expenses
• Fewer dead vehicles and jump starts
• The longest battery life possible
• Any final questions?

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• Presented by
• PulseTech Products Corporation
• Mark Abelson
• 800-580-7554, ext. 167
• mabelson_at_pulsetech.net
• www.pulsetech.net